Vehicle door latch



June 2, 1953 Row 2,640,720

vBHcLE= DOOR LATcH Patenfed June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFCETf1is fnventio11 felateS to vehiole doof 1aJtoheS and n1ofe parcu1af1yto a d,evice fo1- positively looking tho fear doo1 latoh Ineohn1Sn1 ofan aJ11tofnobile When the ffont doof is in itS cloSed position.

The fflaJny advantages of a four doo1' sedan type aotoo1obile afeofte11tiInes ovefshadowed by the inconvenienoe in poSitively looking thefear doofS, paftioularly when Seted in the front. The pfob1en1 pfeSentsitself, fof exafnple, in the oaSe of sola11 ohildfen. 1/fany aooidentsfeso1t ing in gfeat bodily iI1jufy have ooonffed vvhefe 31112111offildfen, in the baok Seat, p1ay vvit11the fear doof lotoh opefatinghandle and fa11 out vvhile the vehio1e iS in o1otion,

ffany of the pfev1ous attefnpts have invo1ved a fnanua11ookingopefation. f fhe opefatof of fhe autofnobile be1ieves the doof' to be1ocked when it, in fact, 1S not, the dangef is even gfeatef beoause heasSun1es theTe iS no posSibility of an acoident and iS flot as aleft toavoid the aco1 deI1t, aS he would othefvviSe be. 11) is thefefofe thepfin1afy objeot of this invenfion to pfovide a device fof positive1y1ocking the reaf doof of al oonventiona1 fouf door Sedan type ve11ioleby o1osofe of the ffont doofS.

In cooffaSt With pfevious SystemS involvff1g uxi1iafy of duplicate looksfof feaf doofs opeI' ated by c1osufe of the front doofs, the preSentinvention iS o1tended to otilize feaI' doof latohes of the type nOW inuse by blooking them against opefation vvhen the ffont doofs afeclosed..

These and othef objects vvi11 be apparent fron1 the fo11owingspecioation and dfavving, in whioh:

E1g. 1 is a p1an vieW, poftia11y bfoken aWoy, i11ostfating a typica1installation of the latoh n1eohanis1n ig. 2 is a diagraInInatiofrgmentafy veftica1 Section taken through the feaJ1' edge of a ffontdoof, the oentef post, fea1' doof, and feaJf door post of a typicali11Sta11ation suoh aS Shown in 'ig. 1, shovving the latohing n1echanismin blocked oondition; and,

Fig. 3 is a view sin1ilar to Fig. 2 bot shoWing the latching n1echanisn1in unblooked position.

1efeffing to the dfawingS in vv11io11 1ike fefef ence nunlefalS denoteSiIT1i1ar elefnents, the vehio1e generally oldicated by numef1 2 is theoonventional foL1I door sedan aoton1obile having ffont and fear doofs 1and 6 fespeotively. The ffont doof 11 iS hinged toward the front of thevehicle by Suftable hinges 8, and the feaf door is hinged to the oenterpost 12 by Suitab1e hinges 111.

111 11ile, fof' pufposes of i11tlStfaatiof1 an e1efnen tory for1n of oorIatohing fneohniSn1 haS heen S11ovff1, 11 vi11 1oe undefstood thof fheinventio11 is app1ioab1e to any one of a nonlbef of systeInsoonventionally enIploying a, 1atoh nlechonism 211 including a. 1atchbo1t o, an aotuating fod of linkage o pivoted at o to the rooker afm (1of a Inanua1 contfo1 znechonism cZ having a handle f rockably suppoftedof1 shaft e. 1t win be underStood that vfhen hand1e .f iS rooked aboutshaft e in al o1ookoZfse difection os seen 111 igS 2 and 3, fooker fno opo11s bolt o to the right against the bias of spfing o So as to o1erlatohing e11d ffon1 keeper hole f if1Teaf doo1' post n accordance withmy invention, each oenter post 12 is pfovided Wh aJ hofizontany disposedapeftore into vvhio11 iS inseffed a fobular bolt hooSing 16. The ends ofthe bo1t housing 111 o1-e f111Sh With the foTWafd and reafward panels ofthe center oSt 12. A fod-1ike bolt 1 1 sndably 11ts fhe -hoo ing 16. Thebolt 14 has aJ beveled noSe 15 of the fight haod extfefn ity and has oJoentra1 rednced neok 111 to feoeive a oo11 spfing 1Bo. The left hand endof tf1e spring 18 abuts against 9 tongue 211 stfuok inwardly ffom fhevva11S of the bo1t housing 111 and the opposfte end of the spring 1Boengages a Shou1o1e1,19 of the bolt 111, theoffongement being sooh thatthe bolt 1 1 iS urged to the fight of Pig. 2 of toward itS forvvafd,unblocking position.

The feaf doof 11 is pfovided With a tob1112f plunger housing 2 1dispoSed So that When the ffoflt dooI' is in aJ oloSed position, theplunger houSing 24 is in difeot aHgn1nent With the bolt housing 16. ATod-1ike plunger 22 Slidably f1ts the housing 211 and is alSo pfovidedwith a reduced neok 211o intefnlediate its ends to feceive aJ Spfing 26.The 1eft hand end of the spring 2o abuts againSt a tongue 28 Stfuokinwardly ffo n the va11S of the plongeT houSing 2 1 While the oppositeend of the spfing 211 engageS the shou1 deI' 21 of the p111ngef 22, Sothat the plungef iS urged toward the Tight of Fig. 2 to an inoperativeof non-blooking position. The fear end of plunger 22, When the 1 tter isfofoed to the left, engages against fockef affn o so as to b1ook itagainSt oountero1ookvviSe, or latof1-opening movement.

In operation, When the fear doo1 11 is olosed and the front door 4 isswung to its o1osed posi tion Stfikef plote 1(7 of the ffont doofengages the beveled nose 15 of the fod1ike bolt 14 and thus o2Ins bolt 11 fearwafdly againSt the biaS of SpTing 111. 1 13 the bolt is dfivenfeafvvafdly through the oenter post 12, it engages and dfives

